Because…. Anyone planning excavation in the public ROW must contact Texas811 a minimum of two working days before work can begin. Utilities have 48 hours to locate underground facilities. ***Private utilities (facilities from the metering device, demarc, etc, to the home or business) must be protected by the owner, and it’s the owner’s responsibility to cover costs associated with the protection.
Color-coded paint markings or flags are used to indicate where utilities are buried:
- White - proposed
- Pink - temporary survey markings
- Blue - potable drinking water
- Yellow - gas, steam, or flammable liquid
- Green - sewer or drain lines
- Purple - reclaimed or irrigation water
- Red - electric
- Orange - communications
(reference: https://texas811.org/)
Stakers will often use white paint or flags to show a proposed underground route for fiber. Electric will use labelled red stakes to indicate proposed pole and equipment placement.